Michel Platini's four-year period in exile following the now infamous "disloyal payment" he received from Sepp Blatter concluded this week, so naturally attention has turned to what is next for the Frenchman.

The former UEFA President - who seemed destined for the top job in football before he was banished to the scrapheap, albeit temporarily - has not given up the fight to clear his name.

His suspension, reduced from eight and then six years, has been upheld by two FIFA judicial bodies, the Court of Arbitration for Sport and Switzerland's Supreme Court. Yet still Platini persists, desperate to repair a once-lauded reputation.

Platini has been self-contradictory on a return to a high-profile role, either at UEFA or maybe even FIFA, which cannot happen without him paying a fine of CHF60,000 (£49,000/$60,000/€54,300) to world football's governing body.

The former France international has told numerous media outlets how he will be "back", but has equally admitted the doors might be closed at certain organisations, given his turbulent past and his bitterness towards those in charge.

"I will be back. I don't know where, I don't know how. I can't go out of the game on the back of a ban, even if it's a ban made by idiots," he said in an interview with Swiss television channel RTS in September.

Since his ban ended, the rumour mill has been swirling with speculation on where he might end up.

One possibility which has cropped up with increasing regularity is the hot-seat at the French Football Federation (FFF), currently occupied by Noël Le Graët.

The Presidency of the FFF, a position Platini has never held, is not available until 2021 at the earliest, however.

While it is difficult to envisage the FFF welcoming back a man who served a four-year ban, it is equally feasible that Le Graët may not seek another term as he will be approaching the age of 80 by the time his mandate ends.

In an interview with L’Equipe, Platini said he had received offers to be a pundit for next year's multi-country UEFA European Championship.

He also conceded it will be tough to assume the status in football's shady corridors which he once enjoyed. "My wife taught me never to go back, to not experience the same love affair twice. So yes, that closes doors for me, notably those at UEFA," he told L’Equipe.

"My suspension ends in October, while the last elections for the FIFA Presidency took place in May and the next ones will be in four years. They arranged that well in Zurich."

Platini, who has constantly attacked and criticised the FIFA administration under President Gianni Infantino, also has other matters to deal with, after he was detained for questioning over the awarding of the 2022 FIFA World Cup to Qatar in June before being released without charge.

This link, which he is struggling to shrug off, coupled with the fact that his alleged offence was deemed sufficient enough to merit a four-year ban, only adds to the belief of some that Platini should not return at all.

Others believe in second chances. It will be interesting to see whether the bigwigs in world football agree.

Football’s inconsistent approach to racism is damaging the fight to combat it

England striker Tammy Abraham made headlines this week when he said the team were prepared to walk off the pitch if any of their players were subjected to racist abuse during their Euro 2020 qualifier against Bulgaria in Sofia on Monday (October 14).

The fact a young, black footballer even needs to consider that prospect is a damning indictment of football's inability to tackle a problem which is not going away.

Some of England's players were racially abused by Montenegro fans during a match in Podgorica in June, prompting UEFA to order the hosts play their next game behind closed doors.

Montenegro were also fined €20,000 (£18,000/$22,000) but Danny Rose, among those to have been abused, believed the punishment did not go far enough.

Rose is right; there does not seem to be enough of a deterrent for fans in certain nations to change, particularly in those with an inherently racist culture.

One such country is Italy, where incidents of racial abuse in football are alarmingly frequent.

Just this week, Atalanta were fined a miserly €10,000 (£9,000/$11,000) for racist abuse by their fans aimed at Fiorentina defender Dalbert in a Serie 'A' match - a paltry sum. 

Earlier this season, monkey chants were aimed at Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku by a section of Cagliari fans.

But instead of condemning them as racist, Inter Milan's own ultras group defended Cagliari and said the chants were in fact a sign of "respect". No, really.

"We are not racist and so are not the Cagliari fans," the Curva Nord statement added.

"You have to understand that in all Italian stadiums people cheer for their teams but at the same time they use to cheer against the opponents not for racism but to 'help' their own team."

This is symptomatic of the problem. If they do not recognise it as racist, how can they be helped?

Italian National Olympic Committee President Giovanni Malagò, a member of the International Olympic Committee, only made it worse when he said diving was a bigger problem than racism last month.

"The fans who jeer black players are wrong," Malagò said.

"However, it's even more wrong when someone who earns €3 million (£2.7 million/$3.3 million) dives in the box and is then also happy to take the penalty."

It would be wrong to single out Italy, however. Abraham and others within the England team know the problem has hardly been eradicated back home.

Three supporters of English Premier League club Brighton and Hove Albion are being investigated for two separate incidents of racism, while Aston Villa fans sparked controversy with a chant created for Zimbabwe midfielder Marvelous Nakamba, which included a reference to slavery and a racial slur.

While it is too sweeping a generalisation to say things must change across the board, surely more can be done to ensure the likes of Abraham do not go into matches fearing racial abuse?